


Sunset

by Carusel



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-18 03:03:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9364427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carusel/pseuds/Carusel
Summary: Despite the magnificent pieces the exhibition had to offer, his gaze never seemed to rest on something for more than a few seconds. He seemed odd and yet you caught yourself staring at him.





	1. Prolog

**Author's Note:**

> I actually had this up before, but since a wonderful friend checked my writing for mistakes and such, I'll just reupload it.
> 
> English isn't my first language and the flow might not be as nice as other works on here but oh well. I just wanted to make sure V gets the happiness he deserves.

It was a Tuesday when you discovered that your phone somehow installed an app by itself. Every other application was set to silent during the day, considering that you never received a lot of messages anyways the slight buzzing of your phone irritated you even more.  
Did you forget to turn off your notifications? Puzzled, you went to check and were greeted by an unfamiliar messenger. The design was far too different for it to be just an update of the one you were currently using, and you had no memory of installing this one.

A chatroom opened, the background appeared like programming code, and the only other person besides you was a user called Unknown. Coincidentally, his profile picture was the default as well.  
For a second, you toyed with the notion of just ignoring all of it - what good did it for you to answer messages from a complete stranger on an app you didn’t recall installing? However, in the end your curiosity won over your hesitance, leading you to answer.  
Your chat partner was quick to cut to the chase: he was in need of help to get some documents he left at the apartment of a friend and since he was studying abroad, your kindness was his last resort. It took a few minutes of convincing until your decision to help was made and under the condition that you would be free to turn around and leave if you felt uneasy, you got on your way.

Once on the train, doubts befell you regarding everything. Was it really okay to believe a stranger? What if his kind words and pleas were all just lies to lull you into a false sense of security? A soft sigh escaped your lips but your decision was already made. As reckless as it seemed, you couldn’t help but feel a subtle excitement.  
Reassuring yourself with the fact that your best friend knew to which part of the city you were headed, you actually felt more at ease. The city was flooded with sunlight and people were swarming the streets, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  
The building wasn’t too far from the main station and the neighborhood seemed nice and clean, a busy street just right around the corner. The apartment itself was located on a high level floor, secured by a password lock. Before anything else, you rang the doorbell, no answer…  
As if he was watching you, Unknown started to message you again. He gave you the digits for the lock, encouraging you to enter, which you finally did.

You opened the door carefully, remaining outside as you watched the sunlight slowly brighten the space in front of your eyes. There was a tiny entrance and a door leading to the main room; it was far from spacious, however it seemed neat. The blinds were closed, so not much daylight made it in through the window.  
“Excuse me?” Your voice was thin, breathy, but just like ringing the doorbell before, all you received was silence. Encouraged, you finally made it inside and to your surprise you were greeted by a delicate, floral scent. All your doubts seemed kind of silly by now.  
You were told the documents could be found on the PC and you should send them via mail. At this point it wasn’t clear which one of you was far too trusting.  
The PC started up slowly, the display illuminating the dim room and the strong feeling of intruding a private space hit you. Just before you were about to turn tail and leave, the background caught your eye. It seemed impossible to avert your gaze from the photograph, a feeling of warmth and comfort swept over you as if you could feel the rays of sunlight on your skin.

Your attention was only drawn back to your phone when it started buzzing incessantly; messages were coming in at a rapid pace. The interface had changed - no longer was the background some sort of weird programming code but a lightly coloured sky. However, what irritated you most of all was the fact that you weren’t connected with Unknown anymore - instead it was some kind of group chat.  
You glanced over the conversation, something about failing midterms, an addicting game, and a job offer. Five people apart from yourself were part of the chatroom but you weren’t able to recognize any of their usernames. As you were about to close the app and get going, just leaving this ordeal of a day behind you, you were noticed.

**WAIT!!!**

Oh no.

**Think someone entered the chat room;;**

Struggling to keep up with the incoming messages you weren’t even able to type out a response to that.

**No one can enter this chatroom without**  
**installing the private app we use… It seems**  
**someone has downloaded the RFA Messenger.**

The what? So this app was a messenger for something called the RFA? And it seemed to be a private one as well - no wonder they treated you like an intruder.  
Things went crazy; in minutes your location was tracked and everyone assumed you were some kind of burglar, breaking into this apartment to do god knows what. They even threatened to call the police! Just then you got the chance to finally explain yourself and give a brief rundown about how you ended up in this situation. Relieved, you noticed them calming down and instead of angry accusations, you were met with questions.

**V entered the chatroom**

At some point a new user showed up, introduced as the head of this association. There was a feeling you just couldn’t shake - something about the way his messages were worded, even his tiny icon - everything gave off a vibe a familiarity. And still, you weren’t able to wrap your head around it.

In the end, you found yourself as a new member of the RFA; not sure how everything played out like this. It should’ve been a simple act of kindness for a stranger in need of help and instead it turned out to be the very embodiment of chaos. If someone had told you this morning that you would be in charge of organizing a charity party by late afternoon, you would’ve told them to seek professional help - yet it happened. Sure it wasn’t ideal however it was still more appealing than its alternative which would be basically having the police called on you. The proof of your conversation with Unknown was quite literally gone.

Once being allowed to stay at the apartment, you spent the rest of the day researching - even if little to nothing turned up about the RFA or its previous guests. Honestly, it wasn’t really all that surprising considering how secretive everyone acted. The other members kept chatting you up, explaining bits and pieces about what was expected of you and revealing little things about their personal life. Soon, you felt comfortable around them and the little chats always brought a smile to your face.

The sun was about to set when you decided to call it a day and return home. You were already headed to the door when you heard your phone going off, an incoming call.

“This is 707, Defender of Justice speaking. You better fess up to any crimes and I, the great 707, will be merciful.” You were quite surprised to hear his voice; it even mirrored his playful tone in the chatroom. The next train wasn’t departing for about half an hour and considering the spare time you had, you played along.  
“Alright I’ll confess… I…” You paused for a dramatic effect. “… didn’t return a book once to the public library.”  
“Oh no ~ our new member is a delinquent, what should I do about this?”  
You two kept on joking for a while until Seven said it was time to go back to work.  
“If you have questions or need my help you can call me anytime ~ or you could project my name into the night sky.”  
“I’ll remember it.” A chuckle accompanied your answer.

The sun was setting quickly when you made your way to the station, the streets had emptied and stores were closing down for the day. Ever since you left the apartment you felt weird, something felt off, and yet, you were unable to define what was. Once you boarded the train and were seated between actively conversing passengers, the feeling slowly began to fade. Maybe the whole ‘join or pay the consequences’ talk affected you too much and your paranoia sparked up.

Your stop was coming up and you felt relieved to be home in just a short while now. The station was fairly deserted by now, as night had already fallen. Just as you left the platform, you were hit again by a rush of uneasiness. Deep down in your stomach something turned, and you could feel cold sweat at the back of your neck. There was no telling where it came from but you felt as if someone was watching you, an icy stare focused on you. Picking up the pace, you hurried through the streets - the neighborhood was quiet as usual. You made a sharp turn into a smaller street, a shortcut to get to your apartment. Just halfway through your stomach turned again, your knees felt weak and then you did the stupidest thing anyone could do in your situation: you turned around. At the end of the alleyway you could barely identify the outlines of a person, standing completely still.

The seconds your gazes met felt like hours and then you started sprinting. Your breath echoed from the walls and your heartbeat was up in your throat when you turned corners and finally were in sight of your apartment complex. The stairs never seemed to be so endless and you felt so slow.  
Your floor was the salvation you were seeking. Just to crush your sense of security brutally, the door was slightly open, the lock broken. No...  
With the sudden feeling of being trapped, you spun around just to meet the stare of your pursuer once again, now blocking your only escape route. Only two possibilities remained: you could either scream to alert your neighbors, or you could try to barricade yourself into your apartment; however, the neighborhood was composed of mostly families with young children or elderly folks and you felt horrible just thinking about getting innocent bystanders caught up in this.  
The door slammed shut and you frantically moved the small dresser in front of it to buy some time. In your panic, you nearly forgot about the fire escape.

Your body was trembling as soon as you opened the window. With clammy fingers, you reached for the ladder and moved yourself carefully until you got a good grip.  
_Don’t look down, don’t look down._  
Adrenaline rushed through your body, helping you move since your mind was all over the place. Just as you reached the next floor, you heard what sounded like your door crashing down. Your movements started to get faster; you nearly lost hold twice, eventually jumping down the last two meters. Without looking back once, you sprinted to the station.

It was an ordeal trying to dial Seven - your vision went blurry when tears started to well up, and your fingers were shaking uncontrollably. You were locked into a public bathroom stall, hunched up on top of the closed toilet.

“Missed me already? What can I do for you, mystery lady? You need the Defender of Justice to come to your aid?”  
“Seven… I think I’m in trouble.” Your voice was cracking, and finally the tears started to flow down your cheeks. “I don’t know what to do.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the first chapter. I rewrote a few parts.

Seven POV

“Seven… I think I’m in trouble. I don’t know what to do.” He heard her voice crack and what was obviously repressed sobbing, worrying him instantly. Every joke he had on his mind when he saw her number pop up on the screen was forgotten, and he tensed up.  
“What happened and where are you right now?” He should’ve known it wasn’t a good idea for her to leave, when someone he couldn’t track just led her to the apartment. He should’ve stopped her when he saw her leaving on the camera feed.  
She had trouble breathing, and wasn’t really able to talk calmly, so it took a few minutes until he heard everything that she went through, in between leaving the apartment and this call. And he was furious. Not only did this person hack his messenger, making a fool out of him, but they got her involved with the RFA and now this.  
“Listen to me, you stay where you are and I’ll come and get you, alright?”  
“Okay, but Seven… please, just promise me you won’t tell the others. I don’t want them to worry about this.” Why would she think about the others in her situation? She was really confusing him, but he had to admit, it was for the best to not let the others know. He wouldn’t get anything out of it other than a dozen worried messages and probably some crazy theories about what was going on.  
Just before he could grab his keys and leave to get one of his babies, he heard various error sounds going off. His screen now flooded with reports about failures in the system.  
“Oh come on.” He tried to fast track the problem, but it seemed like this wasn’t going to be solved anytime soon, and it did some serious damage as well.  
“Screw it.” He was about to drop everything he was doing to just get her right now, when his phone lit up with an incoming call. For a second he thought it might be her again, but he was wrong.  
“Nice timing, I could really use your help.”

 

You were still locked up in the bathroom stall following Sevens advice to just stay put and wait for him. It felt like forever since you talked on the phone, when in reality just a few minutes passed. With the adrenaline leaving your body, slight shivers ran down your spine, and exhaustion was now setting in. Nothing could’ve prepared you for a day like this. Arms still wrapped around your knees, you waited.  
How come your first thought was to call Seven instead of the police or maybe even your friends? Why wasn’t he reluctant about helping you? He merely knew you for a few hours and vice versa. What if he was in on everything? He tracked your location once before, it should’ve been an easy task for him to figure out where you lived.  
Just before your paranoid thoughts could torture you any further, you noticed a soft knock on the outside door of the bathroom. Considering the deserted state of the station, and the time which passed since your conversation, it must’ve been Seven. Your legs were still a little shaky and you felt a bit lightheaded, but you were glad to finally be able to get out of here. Cold air greeted you, toying with your hair for a moment - hindering your sight. However, instead of the red haired jokester, you found yourself in front of tall, handsome, young man with turquoise hair and sunglasses; his right hand holding a cane.  
Just a short look upon his features caused your neglected memories to return, putting the last piece together, you were finally able to grasp the odd sense of familiarity you got earlier.

Years ago, you had just turned 17; your most beloved activity was visiting all kinds of exhibitions. The gentle atmosphere gave you a sense of security and some days you ended up spending hours at those you enjoyed most. And one day you met him.  
Despite the magnificent pieces the exhibition had to offer, his gaze never seemed to rest on something for more than a few seconds. He seemed odd and yet you caught yourself staring at him.  
One day, he stopped for a while in front of your favorite photograph. A tree bathed in the rays of the setting sun, the red and orange tinted clouds behind it appeared like flames - dancing between the branches, enwrapping it with their warmth rather than consuming it.  
Without giving it much thought, you started a conversation; clumsily explaining how much you adored this piece and asking if he by any chance, was a photographer himself. It took him by surprise, and yet he still played along. Talking as if it was just a hobby, and as if he wasn’t experienced enough to comment on the presented photographs. And in this strange way he spoke about himself, and yet, gave nothing away.

His messages were phrased the same way as he spoke back then. As if he wanted to say more, to reach out; but always stopped himself.  
“V.” His name left your lips involuntarily. “Why are you here?” The look on his face worried you, he seemed to be ready to take all the blame, as if you were about to lecture him.  
“Luciel told me what happened, but he had some… problems to deal with and wasn’t able to get you himself, so he sent me.” For a moment, you were able to see his worried expression behind the sunglasses. “Are you alright?”  
“Yes, I’m okay.” It was a lie, you were still not able to digest what happened to you, but worrying V was really the last thing you wanted to do now. Eventually, you were able to focus on the cane he was holding. “Did something happen to your eyes?”  
“Don’t worry about it.” He brushed it off as expected - you were strangers after all. “We should get out of here first. Luciel said it would be for the best if you were to stay at the apartment for the time being. Just until we figure out if the attack is related to the RFA.” His voice was gentle, as if he was trying not to frighten you, and it was working. Your tensed muscles were able to relax a bit, his presence was reassuring and you felt ashamed of your suspicions towards Seven.

For a while, both of you fell silent whilst seated on the train back into the city, until you felt his gaze once more.  
“I’m sorry.” His words caught you by surprise, you weren’t expecting him to talk to you so suddenly and least of all you were expecting an apology. “I shouldn’t have involved you in all of this, I’m really sorry.”  
“Why are you apologizing?” Your eyes met for a moment before his gaze averted ever so slightly, the grip on his cane hardened. “Unless you were the one following me, I don’t see anything you should be sorry for.”  
He fell silent again, lost in thoughts. You nearly got the impression that he was… surprised? What was he expecting? Did he really believe you would put the blame on him? For something he wasn’t responsible of?  
“I probably should be the one apologizing for being such a troublesome new member.” A lame joke to lighten the mood, but instead it backfired as V took it seriously.  
“No!” He raised his voice for a moment and the sincerity filling it, made you feel guilty instantly. “Please don’t think like that. Everyone in the RFA is important to me; there is nothing you should blame yourself for.” Your throat tightened, your lips unable to form a response. “Please.”  
You didn’t have the heart to tell him you were only joking, and hence a small, grateful smile was all you could manage at the moment.

It was already past 10pm when both of you made it back to Rika’s apartment, your little detour to a convenience store taking longer than anticipated. However, staying there without some necessities would be impossible. V reassured you by promising he and Seven would do everything in their power to figure out who was behind all of it, and if they were somehow related to the RFA. Until then, it would be best for you to stay put.  
While V was waiting in the corridor - your subject of conversation had strayed to the other members - you quickly unlocked the door, placing your bag in the entrance. The sudden silence prompted you to turn around and you were met with an incredibly uncomfortable expression. V seemed to be on the verge of fleeing the building. Just then, you recalled the fact that you were currently in front of the apartment, which not so long ago belonged to his deceased fiancée, and you were acting so casual about it as well.  
Stepping outside again, a smile of gratefulness formed on your face. “V, thank you for everything you did tonight. I’m not sure if I could have made it back here if it wasn’t for you.”  
The tenseness of his posture ceased a bit and so did the uneasy expression on his features. “I told you everyone in the RFA is like family to me and as long as you remain a member, you are included in that. I mean it.” And for the first time since you two met, a smile flickered across his face. “Take care.”

For a moment, you just stood there, taken aback by the gentle warmth of his smile. Snapping out of it, you realized something. “Wait.” V had already made his way halfway down the corridor when you reached him. “You should take this.” His glance settled on your hands. “I think you will need it.”  
Eventually, his eyes darted to the window, raindrops leaving trails on the glass as they made their way down.  
“And V…” Hesitation nearly made you reconsider the words you were about to say. “… you are an important member of the RFA, so don’t blame yourself either.” Slightly embarrassed, you placed the umbrella in his hands before turning around, leaving him back there in the corridor.


End file.
